Theatrical Fashion: Must-See Runway Moments
A return to theatrical brilliance.
During the 2010s, theatrics during fashion shows became a rare occurrence. It was a time when each runway show consisted of models walking stone-faced down the catwalk, a world away from the funky and outrageous shows of the 90s and 00s. However, the 20s have brought back fabulous fashion show moments.
Here are three must-see fashion show theatrics.
Alexander McQueen Spray Paint Dress
When thinking of stand-out moments in fashion, the end of Alexander McQueen’s 1999 Spring/Summer show surely springs straight to mind for every fashion enthusiast. The iconic moment at the end of the show involved supermodel Shalom Harlow standing on a rotating platform in a white dress, encircled by robot arms. As she spun, the robot arms sprayed her in black and yellow paint as she gasped and flung her arms around in shock. The moment combined fashion and art in a way that was bold and unpredictable.
Coperni Spray-On Dress
If you missed this viral fashion moment from the Spring/Summer 2023 Coperni show there is one question – where were you? Videos of Bella Hadid standing in nothing but nude underwear while a team of people sprayed her with liquid fibre made the rounds on social media for weeks. The white dress, made from Fabrican’s sprayable liquid fibre was instantly cemented as the must-see moment from Paris Fashion Week in September 2023.
Wackie Ju Resort 2025 Finale
At the end of the Wackie Ju Resort 2025 show at Australian Fashion Week, a model walked down the runway wearing a gown made of Mongolian fur. Suddenly, a group of people clawed her, tearing away the fur to reveal a gown splattered with red shapes that can assumed to be blood. The show, titled ‘Saviour’ represents the invasion of Yuangminyuan in the 1900s and is an ode to designer Jackie Wu’s Chinese heritage. The theatrics of the show caused emotions and feelings that some claim to have not felt since the work of Galliano and McQueen in their prime.
It's evident that for fashion to have deeper meaning, theatre and art are essential.
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